The BPI - 50 years of palaeontological activity

Main articleThe Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research at the University of the Witwatersrand was established from an endowment made by Bernard Price in 1945. Now, a mere 50 years later, the Institute ranks as a prominent palaeontological research centre in Africa. It curates large collections of fossils including Karoo reptiles, mammals from the Makapansgat valley and other Plio-Pleistocene sites, invertebrates from the Bokkeveld and Zululand, and has a large palaeobotany herbarium. The Institute produces the journal Palaeontologia africana, the only journal in Africa dedicated to the publication of palaeontological papers. The BPI is closely affiliated to the Department of Palaeontology and Palaeoenvironmental Studies, the only department of palaeontology at a South African University. During the 50 years of its existence the BPI has played an important role in the advancement and dissemination of palaeontological knowledge in southern Africa.Non

A new vertebrate biozone at the base of the Beaufort Group, Karoo sequence (South Africa)

A new vertebrate biozone at the base of the Beaufort Group has been identified. This biozone is the oldest vertebrate biozone of the Beaufort Group and contains fossils of various therapsid genera which are more primitive than previously known related forms from the Karoo. The name Eodicynodon - Tapinocaninus Assemblage Zone is proposed as these two genera of therapsid are the most plentiful from this biozone and have not been found in the rocks of the overlying Dinocephalia Assemblage (Tapinocephalus) Zone.Directors and Board of Trustees of the National Museum; CSI

Charles Kimberlin (Bob) Brain - a tribute

THE COUNCIL’S RESEARCH COMMITTEE, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND; NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION (NRF

The postcranial skeletal anatomy of the therocephalian Regisaurus (Therapsida: Regisauridae) and its utilization for biostratigraphic correlation

The postcranial morphology of the therocephalian genus Regisaurus from the Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone of South Africa is described. The remarkably complete state of preservation of the vertebral column has, for the first time, provided a full vertebral count for a therocephalian and demonstrates that it is possible to differentiate between cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal vertebrae. It is demonstrated that some postcranial elements can be used to identify particular therocephalian groups and will be of use in biostratigraphic studies in areas where cranial remains have not been found. A slender scapula, low scapular ridge, shallow scapular depression, short and broad interclavicle, oval sternum, and a small obturator foramen are characteristics of therocephalians known from the Cistecephalus, Dicynodon and Lystrosaurus assemblage zones of the Beaufort Group of South Africa.The University of the Witwatersrand, Transvaal Museum, National Research Foundation of South Africa and the Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST

Dicynodont (Therapsida) bone histology: phylogenetic and physiological implications

The bone histology of humeri of a number of taxonomically well established and easily definable dicynodont genera is described and compared. The bone of Aulacephalodon, Cistecephalus, Dicynodon, Endothiodon, Lystrosaurus, Kannemeyeria and Oudenodon consists of alternating fibro-lamellar and lamellated bone tissue, while that of Diictodon consists only of fibro-lamellar tissue. The presence of fibro-lamellar bone in all the genera studied, indicates that the bone was deposited rapidly, but the occurrence of lamellated bone tissue suggests that all the genera except Diictodon, also had intermittent periods of slow growth. This is the first time that a comparative study of bone histology of different dicynodont genera has been attempted by using one particular bone element to standardise intergeneric comparisons

James William Kitching (1922–2003): a tribute

On 24 December 2003, James William Kitching, regarded by many as one of the world’s greatest fossil finders, died at his home in Johannesburg. His passing marks the end of a pioneering era of palaeontological giants in South Africa

The oldest Procolophonoid (Amniota: Parareptilia) - New discovery from the lower Beaufort of South Africa.

Main articleUntil now the earliest recognised procolophonoid (sensu Laurin & Reisz 1995) reptile has been Owenetta, which ranges from the Cistecephalus assemblage zone (Upper Permian) to the Lystrosaurus assemblage zone (Lower Triassic) of the Beaufort Group of South Africa. This paper records the presence of a new even older form from low in the underlying Tapinocephalus assemblage zone.Non

The bony labyrinth of late Permian Biarmosuchia: palaeobiology and diversity in non-mammalian Therapsida

Biarmosuchia, as the basalmost group of Therapsida (the stem group of mammals), are important for understanding mammalian origins and evolution. Unlike other therapsid groups, the bony labyrinth of biarmosuchians has not yet been studied, despite insightful clues that bony labyrinth morphology can provide to address palaeobiology and phylogeny of extinct animals. Here, using CT scanning, surface reconstruction and a 3D geometric-morphometric protocol of 60 semi-landmarks on the bony labyrinth of 30 therapsids (including three Mammaliaformes), it is demonstrated that bony labyrinth morphology of biarmosuchians is very distinctive compared to that of other therapsids. Despite the primitive nature of their cranial morphology, biarmosuchians display highly derived traits in the structure of the bony labyrinth. The most noticeable are the presence of a long and slender canal linking the vestibule to the fenestra vestibuli, an enlarged and dorsally expanded anterior canal, and the absence of a secondary common crus (except for one specimen), which sets them apart from other non-mammalian therapsids. These characters provide additional support for the monophyly of Biarmosuchia, the most recently recognized major therapsid subclade. Although implications of the derived morphology of the biarmosuchian bony labyrinth are discussed, definitive interpretations are dependent on the discovery of well-preserved postcranial material. It nevertheless sheds light on a previously overlooked diversity of bony labyrinth morphology in non-mammalian therapsids.The Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST) and its Scatterlings of Africa Programmes NRF South Africa DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in PalaeosciencesJN

Tooth replacement patterns in the Early Triassic epicynodont Galesaurus planiceps (Therapsida, Cynodontia)

Sixteen specimens of the Early Triassic cynodont Galesaurus planiceps (including eight that were scanned using micro-computed tomography) representing different ontogenetic stages were assembled to study the dental replacement in the species. The growth series shows that the incisors and postcanines continue to develop and replace, even in the largest (presumably oldest) specimen. In contrast, replacement of the canines ceased with the attainment of skeletal maturity, at a basal skull length of ~90 mm, suggesting that Galesaurus had a finite number of canine replacement cycles. Additionally, the functional canine root morphology of these larger specimens showed a tendency to be open-rooted, a condition not previously reported in Mesozoic theriodonts. An alternating pattern of tooth replacement was documented in the maxillary and mandibular postcanine series. Both postcanine series increased in tooth number as the skull lengthened, with the mandibular postcanine series containing more teeth than the maxillary series. In the maxilla, the first postcanine is consistently the smallest tooth, showing a proportional reduction in size as skull length increased. The longer retention of a tooth in this first locus is a key difference between Galesaurus and Thrinaxodon, in which the mesial-most postcanines are lost after replacement. This difference has contributed to the lengthening of the postcanine series in Galesaurus, as teeth continued to be added to the distal end of the tooth row through ontogeny. Overall, there are considerable differences between Galesaurus and Thrinaxodon relating to the replacement and development of their teeth.Fil: Norton, Luke A.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Abdala, Nestor Fernando. University of the Witwatersrand; Sudáfrica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Rubidge, Bruce S.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Botha, Jennifer. Free State University; Sudáfrica. Karoo Palaeontology; Sudáfric